Shattered Promises
by UnwelcomeGuest
Summary: Serena Clarks, a teenaged girl, moves to Shibuya from America. From when she was very young, Serena could see things and she knew things she shouldn't know. She always dreams of this promise made and broken, but whenever she wakes up, the dream slips away. She knows that what she can do isn't ordinary and soon finds herself in a tight spot of trouble OCxJosh
1. Chapter 1: Reunion

Author's Note: Eh. Gets bored at 11:38 pm. Starts writing fanfic... *Yawns* I'm awfully tired... Romance, a virtual cookie for anyone who guesses who Serena, 'me', is going to end up with! Enjoy!

* * *

**_Chapter 1: Reunion _**

"Do y-you really really promise?"

"Yes, I promise you. No matter what happens, we'll be together and as long as you're with me, I'll protect you. Playing prince is fun, after all! So stay with me, alright?"

It all began with a promise. All of it. But when that promise is broken, there is nothing you can do to stop falling.

"I'm sorry! I really am... Don't leave me, Ilixo, don't... Please... You promised! I promised! That we'd stay together! No... Don't..."

Tears that were not my own splashed onto my face. Someone was crying. My heart felt as if it were cracking open. I wanted to comfort this crying person, but I couldn't and the sobs just got harder.

* * *

"Serena! Hey, you with me?"

"Huh?"

I jerked my head, looking over to the voice that pulled me from a memory that kept slipping away. Kayleigh pouted as she looked at me, irked that I had drifted off again. Her childish face looked weird frowning and I couldn't help but chuckle as she stared intently into my eyes, blue into brown.

"God, can you stop drifting off? I was asking about how the performance was at A-East! How are Shibuya's concerts?"

"It was pretty cool..." I admitted, "But it was awfully crowded and any visits afterwards resulted in getting lost in the dark."

Kayleigh sighed and flicked her brown hair back. "Wish I could have gone..." she muttered, "So... how's the rest of Shibuya treating you?"

"Well, I haven't done much recently, with all the settling into a new house," I told her, sipping my drink. Me and my family had recently moved to Shibuya from overseas. Since we were busy with unpacking, we hadn't had much time to treat ourselves to a tour of the city. Today and yesterday, however, I had been able to spare some time and remunerate myself with a concert and a chance to tour Shibuya with Kayleigh, my best friend.

We had known each other since nursery in England and spent our primary school lives in the same class as each other. During secondary school, I moved to America and went to a middle school instead. A few years later, I heard that Kay had moved to Japan and my family decided to move to Shibuya after I finished middle school. So... upon coming here, the first thing I did was visit Kayleigh, as her family was originally from Shibuya and they had come back here when they came back to Japan. Kayleigh was my friend's English name, her original one being Mitsuru Okita. I, on the other hand, had never realized my name was so Japanese until I came here. Serena could be written in kanji as 'Snow Princess' which came as a pleasant surprise to me. Kayleigh had shown me how to write her name in kanji, too, and her name meant 'Beautiful Crane'.

"Is that so? I would show you around some more and stuff but high school starts tomorrow... I do wonder though, why aren't you going to an international school?"

"Cause I wanna be in the same school as you, duh," I responded, rolling my eyes. I hated being lonely. It was the worst feeling in the world. I checked my watch. "Oh god, it's getting late! I gotta go!"

"Alright then. Cya round at school!"

"Yeah, bye, Kay!" I got up and waved at Kayleigh as I walked outside. Taking a glance back, I looked at the 'Mexican Dog' sign on the restaurant. I'd have to remember this place. The hot dogs were good. Then I flicked the top screen of my phone up, checking the map of Shibuya. It was still quite early actually, but it was almost time They came out to play so I had to find a place with little people.

Udagawa seemed like a great place, as I knew that place was often deserted at this time, as Kay had shown me.

Using the map to navigate, I carefully made my way over to the graffiti covered wall. Trash littered the ground, but it was cleaner than it had been before. In front of CAT's mural, a teenager was standing there, looking up at it thoughtfully, an outstretched hand reaching towards the artwork. I slowed down, frowning slightly with impatience. Looking up, I saw the sunset begin to dye the sky a gold and red color. I didn't have time to wait. Wishing that the teen would leave soon, I inspected him. He had orange, spiky hair and wore an odd set of clothing which I can't really describe due to my colorblindness. A pair of headphones were covering his ears as if he thought he could block out the world with them. He still hadn't budged.

Getting annoyed, I tapped my foot and looked around. Reflected off the glass of a nearby window, showing a dulled version of me. In my boredom and impatience, I occupied myself by examining my own appearance. My brown eyes weren't shining, my frown blocking my eyes from the light. An uneven fringe of dark brown hair partially covered my right eye, slightly shorter on the left side as that was where my hair parted. The dark red streaks that I had dyed into my hair were quite noticeable in among the long, straight threads of dark brown, reaching past my shoulders. The top of my head was hidden under a black D+B cap with silver and pink markings that glittered with sequins and my ruby pendant rested on my crossed arms, hanging on a gold chain around my neck. Over my sea-green top, I wore a checkered hoodie that had silver chains hanging from it. Gold and silver chains also burdened my jeans, jade skulls hanging from them. I wore dark brown furred boots with low heels that didn't show on the outside.

Footsteps caught my attention and I looked away from the glass. The teen was walking towards me, a questioning shadow in his eyes as he eyed me. However, he didn't say anything as he walked past, music blaring from his headphones. I sighed in relief. Just in time, too. A shadow settled over the area. I walked over to a pile of boxes and sat down, waiting for Them to appear.

Not long after, a croaking noise caught my attention. I opened my eyes and smiled. Finally had come the creatures that I was so used to. In front of me, a frog with black, tattoo-like legs sat, seeming to be watching me. I got up and walked over, bending down next to the frog. I had never ever told anyone about what I could see. Not even Kayleigh knew about my meetings with these creatures. I told them things and they spoke back. Well, not really spoke, as they didn't make any sounds, but I knew what they were trying to say. They told me their worries and stories and I told them mine. It was fun.

At first, they didn't seem capable of showing much emotion or personality, but as I talked with them, they opened up and became more human. They told me they were dead humans, that they had lost everything and it was only when we talked that they felt human. A wolf with tattoo legs materialized near me from a weird floating symbol. As much as I was used to this, I couldn't help being curious, but I knew better than to intrude upon something like this further. They seemed unhappy when they told me they were dead humans and other things like that. Better to keep to the happy things. They come to me at dusk and have done so ever since I was young. And, somehow, I knew this wasn't normal, so I kept it to myself. When I was young and afraid of the dark, they would appear in my room and comfort me by talking to me. The part of the day I looked forwards to most was always dusk.

I lost myself in our conversation. More of the creatures had appeared. Suddenly, they needed to leave and they left, disappearing. I was puzzled. Why did they leave so soon today? Oh well... Perhaps Shibuya had so many people that they had sensed someone coming. And so they had.

Footsteps made me look around. I got up, realizing how late it was. Oops. I'd better get home. The night sky had laid itself over the light by now, blanketing over Shibuya. You couldn't see the stars in the city. That unnerved me. I used to live in the countryside. Our family was wealthy enough to own a mansion and a large part of the land in the countryside of England and America. I stood, looking at the sky for a second before sighing and walking away. I passed a a boy with silver hair who stared as I walked. He looked somewhat angry and confused. That unnerved me more. My heart began racing under the boy's lavender gaze and I held my breath, picking up the pace.

I let out a sigh of relief as I escaped the area, but my heart carried on racing in my chest. Was this fear? No, it didn't seem like it. Then, I hurried home, dismissing these thoughts. I didn't want to be late for school tomorrow!

* * *

Author's Notes: Er... Yeah... There we go! Neku and Josh appeared... Kinda gave away who Serena's gonna be with... I welcome reviews!

PS: Finished this at school... During Physics class. Learning about soundwaves... Ha. Thanks to **Rambunctious Guest **for helping me proofread and improve this!


	2. Chapter 2: Buttercups

_**AN: **_Gawd I'm tired… Writing fanfics while being bombarded with homework is… tiring… yeah… *sighs* Fanfics are now my first priority. Writing in first person is soooo hard. I keep wanting to slip into third… School starts for Serena in this chapter! Peace out!

(Mitsuru Okita is 沖田 美鶴)

* * *

_**Chapter 2: Buttercups**_

"You know, Ilixo, that if you touch a buttercup to your chin and it rubs off on you, your chin turns yellow and it means you'll have good luck for the rest of the week! Buttercups are really, really pretty. They're yellow, small and fragile, but beautiful."

"Really? Let's go try that now!" There was a pattering of footsteps.

"Hey! Wait up! There aren't any buttercups anywhere near here, you know?" The footsteps stopped.

"Aw… Then why'd you tell me?"

"Well, when I grow up, I want to live next to a field of buttercups and… you can be my next-door neighbour and we can play in the fields all day long!"

"Hahaha… When we grow up, we won't be interested in that kind of stuff anymore… But I think that a field of buttercups will be quite an amazing sight, don't you?"

* * *

"Urg… This is _horrible_…"

Standing in front of the mirror, I looked at myself wearing my new school uniform. Me and dresses don't go. Everyone knew that! Me and skirts? Kill me now.

Our girl's uniform was a simple white blouse with a short, cream-colored short skirt, a red bow tie, a cream-colored sweater, and two sets of shoes, one for indoors one for out. Along with that, I wore a pair of black stockings, but left my ruby pendant on my desk. I sighed, deciding to deal with it. I looked quite good in a skirt, actu- no. I didn't look like me.

Glancing at the clock, I realized that I should be going with an 'Oh Shi-' and a fumbling of my stuff. I grabbed my single strapped bag and slung it over my shoulder, bolting down the stairs. My mom was calling me. I rushed into the kitchen and got a piece of toast before joining my mom at the front door with a shout of 'Bye, Dad!' Since I didn't know the way to school, mom was driving me. She looked irritated and I gave a sheepish smile as I climbed into the back of our large, shiny, new, red, family car. Mom started the engine and we headed off for school.

My mom was a Chinese woman, actually, my dad being the side which carried the blood that made me look foreign. Mom was tall and skinny with slightly curled, shoulder length black hair and mysterious black eyes. She was silent as she drove. She had to talk with the class teacher before getting me settled in since I was a little special. One, I didn't come to the opening ceremony held a few days ago (that wasn't really the start of school, just introductions), two, I transferred from America and, three, my Japanese was only so-so. I could communicate with Japanese due to taking classes back in America, but my writing and reading were all 'meh'. My mom had assured me that I'd be in the same class as Kayleigh, so I wasn't too worried about school.

After arriving, mom parked in the car park, many other students giving us curious looks. The only other student in this school who arrived by car was Kayleigh. The school was quite big with large front gates. The senior high-school building was a white building with three floors and places for P.E. class were scattered around behind it. There was an outside corridor that led to the junior high-school building which also had three floors. It wasn't as big as the school I went to back in America, but still pretty large. Me and Kay called them middle school and high-school out of habit.

Luckily, we didn't have to climb any stairs after walking in and we went to the teacher's office, but not before we changed shoes. As we walked in, we saw a silver-haired boy talking to a teacher. My mom and I waited behind them. The silver haired teen gave one last nod before backing off and letting my mom talk to the teacher. It was the kid I had seen yesterday at Udagawa. He smirked at me and I frowned back before trying to listen to the conversation my mother was having with the teacher. However, something caught my eye. A buttercup! It was sitting in a lonely vase off to the side and I marvelled at it. I've never know why, but buttercups have always been my favourite flower. Back in England, when Kayleigh and I had nothing to do, we'd go hang out in the buttercup field near our houses and just sit there and chat. We'd test our luck my touching the buttercup to our chins. It was always fun even if we never truly believed in this luck test. I smiled as I gazed at the buttercup before feeling an intense gaze burning into the side of my head. I twitched and glanced at the boy. He was staring with that same look of anger and confusion again, but there was a hint of sorrow in his gaze this time. When he caught me looking, he smirked again, annoying me.

Soon, my mom had finished her chat with the teacher, Mr. Kanagawa, and he led us to the lockers, where we put our outdoor shoes before going to the classroom. Mr. Kanagawa was a young man with short black hair and piercing black eyes. He looked more mature than his expression was. One look of him told me that I was going to enjoy his classes. He told us to wait outside before we were called to come in. So we did. While I was idle, I had a good look at the boy's uniform. Pfft. Their uniform was so much better in my opinion.

The boy next to me wore a plain white, short sleeved shirt with dark grey pants, a dark grey tie and a short-sleeved cream boy's sweater. He caught me staring, again, and smirked, again.

"What's with the stare, Yuki-chan?" he asked, twirling a lock of silver hair. I raised an eyebrow.

"Yuki?" I interrogated, "My name's Serena Clarks, thank you very much, and I was only looking at the boy's uniform of this school. Not you…"

"Oh? That's truly heart-breaking… hee…" the boy said, "As for Yuki, since your name is 100 percent English, it's kind of hard to call you by your last name… And your name does have 'Snow' in it."

"You could just call me Serena… Instead of giving me a nickname…" I suggested. The boy paused and widened his eyes before breaking into silent giggles. "What?" I demanded, frowning. I was liking this boy less and less no matter how cute or feminine he looked.

"Oh, _Yuki-chan_, didn't you know that only very close friends or couples call each other by their first names in Japan?" he asked, containing his laughter, "Unless you really do want me to call you that…"

"We just call each other by our first names in America and England. What's so romantic about that?"

The boy stayed silent for a moment, studying me with a smile on his face. "Hee hee… Who knows?" he then said, pissing me off even more.

"Plus, you could just call me Ms. Clarks or something if you think the English way of addressing people is too odd," I then suggested, turning to look at the closed door. Wasn't the teacher done yet? I couldn't stand another moment of being here with this creepy boy who had a girly giggle.

"… Fine then. I'll just call you Serena," he finally decided. The creep was about to say something else, but the door opened and the teacher beckoned for us to come in. We came in.

As we did, there were three things I noticed at once, but one after the other. The first was Kayleigh, smiling happily at me, the second was a very shocked looking, very familiar orange-haired boy, staring at the guy next to me, and the third was that a girl with short brown hair and glasses was looking at the creepy guy with the same expression as the orange-haired guy.

"These two new students will be joining us from today onwards. Neither had a chance to attend the opening ceremony. I hope you'll get along," the teacher said. Then Mr. Kanagawa turned to us. "Now why don't you two introduce yourselves?"

"Ladies first… Hee hee…" the silveret whispered at me, making me frown and cross my arms before putting on a charming smile.

"Exactly why you should go first. Please do," I replied.

"Why, you're quite the gentleman. Hee hee… Don't mind if I do," the boy smiled back and I mentally groaned. What was wrong with him? "Hajimemashite*. I'm Yoshiya Kiryu, but Mother and Father call me Joshua, and I guess you all can call me that, too… Hee hee…" What the-? He had an English name, too, and was urging people to call him by it, so why all the fuss with my name? A few of girls began chattering excitedly. Uh… what?

I sighed and scanned the classroom. Despite having to stand in front of all these people, I wasn't nervous one bit. "My name is Serena Clarks. I transferred here from America. Yorosiko**," I introduced myself, giving a light smile. No time for being pissed at this dude. Time to be happy and try to understand people and make some new friends!

Uh… Scratch that idea. That sounded cheesy.

The teacher sent me to sit beside Kayleigh and sent Joshua to sit next to someone called Neku Sakuraba as well as telling them to give each of us a tour of the school during lunch break. Neku didn't look very happy, having Joshua next to him, and I couldn't blame the kid. Josh was as annoying as a thorn in your side. I couldn't wait until lunch break and it came quickly, as we barely did anything class-like during our first day of class.

Turns out, Kayleigh was good friends with the brown-haired girl and another redhead, called Shiki and Eri respectively. Shiki and Eri were good friends with Neku and Neku and Shiki seemed to know the Joshua kid. Shiki and Eri decided to tag along with the tour and Neku mingled in, not wanting to be left alone with Joshua. Neku was pretty quiet while Eri and Kayleigh showed us the school after having lunch and Shiki seemed uncomfortable.

"… And these are the tennis courts!" Eri concluded cheerfully.

"Hey, Serena, what club are you joining?" Kayleigh asked.

"Wha'ja think? Archery, of course, Kay. It's fun," I replied.

"Aw… All three of us, me, Eri, Shiki are all in fashion design. Why don't you join? You're good at creative stuff," Kayleigh suggested.

"Yeah, but, I think Archery would be fun. You know, try new stuff," I argued.

"Too bad then…" Eri sighed, "It'd be awesome to have another in the club. What about you, Josh?"

"Me?" Joshua seemed surprised, "Fashion design does sound interesting… Hee hee…"

"What!?" Neku demanded, looking somewhat horrified.

Joshua smirked at him and twirled a lock of silver hair. "I was just kidding, _Nekky,_" he crooned. Neku sighed and looked pissed, "If I were to go to any club, I think I'd go to archery, too, actually…"

Now it was my turn to be horrified. I sighed. Was he trying to stalk me or something? Oh well, this wouldn't make me give up archery. Archery was held near to the patch of buttercups the gardening club had planted, so I could see them every day if I had archery, and I didn't need to go past that place if I didn't have archery. "Great…" I muttered, rolling my eyes. Perhaps I could figure out the reason this kid was so annoying, but that didn't seem possible. "So… Neku. What club are you in?" I asked, deciding to make friends.

Neku seemed a little uncomfortable. Oops. I had called him by his first name. To me it seemed as if Neku, Josh and Shiki were quite close, though Neku didn't admit it. "Uh… I have art. Graffiti art," he said. I frowned. There was a club like that? I _did_ see him looking at CAT's work though. A fan of graffiti art?

The bell rang.

"We'd better get back," Shiki finally spoke. We all agreed and went back for the afternoon classes.

* * *

* - A formal greetings in Japanese, 'Nice to meet you' Literally translates into 'First time meeting you'

** - A formal greetings in Japanese. Literally translates into 'Take care of me'

Chan is the suffix for the names of girls around the same age as you.


	3. Chapter 3: Romeo and Juliet

_**Chapter 3: Romeo and Juliet**_

The Globe stood tall and proud in the sun.

"Shakespeare's plays are so confusing!"

"Then why'd you go, Ilixo?"

"For the story, of course. As confusing as they are, they're so… moving… And plus, don't you think watching plays are fun? They're a rare treat. Mother took me to watch Father perform today. Hey, can you act out _Romeo and Juliet_ with me?"

"What? Why?"

"Come on… It'll be fun! I want to be an actor when I grow up."

"… A-alright then! Let's go home. Your Father has the scripts, right?"

* * *

The first lesson of the afternoon was English. To my joy, and many others' horror, we would be doing plays and stuff about Shakespeare. Honestly, I would've thought they would be learning something easier. Turns out, my Mom went and paid the school into teaching something _slightly _above their level. What school would listen to my millionaire mother? Is that even allowed? No, scratch that. Is that even legal, to change the teaching material? Apparently so. The only two people in our class who were somewhat delighted to be doing this were me and Joshua, which ruined some of my happy thoughts. However, it did make me think I understood him some more and I cheered myself up by telling myself that we had something else in common and that might make him less annoying.

After school, Kayleigh invited me to go shopping with Eri and Shiki and I happily obledged. However, Joshua tagged along and Shiki dragged Neku into it. They said they had to wait for some other friends, too. I was kinda hoping this would be a Girl's Night Out sort of thing. Oh well. Soon, we were joined by two blondes. One seemed much younger, a girl only in Elementary school or something, the other was quite a buff guy and I wasn't sure if taking them all shopping would be a good idea or not. The moment they saw Joshua, the older guy freaked.

"Prissy kid! What you doing here?!" he asked. Well, he kind of shouted… but… It seemed as if they all knew Joshua. The guy seemed as if he didn't know if he should be mad or confused. Joshua just smirked, as I thought he would.

"Can't I join in with the fun?" he asked back, twirling his hair.

"Beat, calm down. So you're Joshua then," the little girl then addressed the boys, "Well, I think we should thank you."

"What!? But, Rhyme…" the boy called Beat complained, "He ki-" He was about to say something else but Shiki and Ryhme silenced him with a glare and a panicked look respectively. I raised an eyebrow at this but didn't question it. Neku frowned and looked over at me and Kayleigh while Joshua looked thoughtful and almost annoyed that Beat hadn't carried on talking. Everyone was silent for a moment before Eri broke the silence.

"_Anyways, _Beat, Rhyme, this is Kayleigh and Serena. Kayleigh, Serena, this is Beat and Rhyme," she said, introducing us. I heard Kayleigh let out the breath she'd been holding beside me. That moment of silence had unnerved her.

"S'up?" I asked, trying to lighten the mood while giving a friendly smile and wave.

"Nice to meet 'cha!" Kayleigh added, holding out a hand for them to shake.

"Nice meet you, too, Kayleigh, Serena," Rhyme shook Kayleigh's hand. Beat looked somewhat uncomfortable.

"Ain't those your first names, yo?" he asked. Aw… How cute. He was embarrassed. I grinned.

"Don't worry. We're used to the stuff overseas. There's no problem with calling us by our first names…" I explained helpfully.

Beat nodded and smiled. "Well, nice meetin' ya, Kayleigh and Serena," he said.

I frowned for a second. "Beat and Rhyme aren't your actual names, right? Cause they're a little unusual, especially for the Japanese…" Beat paled slightly.

"Oh. Raimu-chan and Daisukenojo-kun are just uncomfortable with their names is all…" Joshua explained, twirling his hair and giggling lightly.

"BWAAAA! D-DUN SAY DAT NAME, YO! That ain't cool, yo!" Beat burst out, looking horrified. I was slightly shocked and I knew Kayleigh was, too. She frowned and tilted her head to the side slightly.

"Daisu-"

"BWAAA! Didn't I say to not say dat name?!" Beat cut Kayleigh off before she could finish. Rhyme and Shiki gave giggles while Neku and Eri smiled. Joshua smirked, as always. Kayleigh smiled and couldn't help but laugh a little. I smiled, too, but the smile was gone as fast as it came. I felt a cold feeling, as if we were being watched. I looked back slightly, but there was no one there. Then I caught Joshua staring at me. No, staring past me. I glanced back once more and saw… a black and grey tattoo bear creature. I blinked, acting as if I hadn't seen anything, having the weird feeling that Joshua could see them, too, and wasn't very thrilled with their existence. I had never seen a creature in that color, but I wanted to go to it. It began going further away from us. Joshua took one step in the bear's direction before I suddenly screamed.

"Ah!" Everyone looked at me in surprise, "I-I suddenly remember! I have something to do! Sorry guys, I'll hang out with you all tomorrow!" And with that I took off, following the bear.

After chasing it to somewhere deserted, I lost sight and feeling of it and sighed. Then I looked at the sky.

"…" It was really early. I sighed, wondering why They had come so early in the day. Then, I went back home, half regretting my decision of following the bear.

* * *

"Now, I would like two students to read out the dialogue between Romeo and Juliet on page 23 as an example," the English teacher said.

English was the second class of the day today. I was quite delighted with what we were doing. I raised my hand.

"Alright, Ms. Clarks can be Juliet. Anyone want to be Romeo?"

I smiled and looked around, but my smile faltered quickly as I saw Joshua raise his hand.

"Mr. Kiryu will be Romeo, then. Please begin."

Joshua smirked and I rolled my eyes. Oh well. I'll have to deal with it.

"_If I profane with my unworthiest hand_  
_This holy shrine, the gentle fine is this:_  
_My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand_  
_To smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss_," Joshua read, adding emotion and emphasis into his voice. It was beautiful. As if he had become Romeo himself. His voice was filled with the love Romeo had for Juliet despite this being their first time meeting one another. His gaze had turned dreamy and the lines came to him as if he were born for it. My eyes widened a fraction before I said my line.

"_Good pilgrim, you do wrong your hand too much,_  
_Which mannerly devotion shows in this;_  
_For saints have hands that pilgrims' hands do touch,_  
_And palm to palm is holy palmers' kiss,_" I then read aloud from my book, making my voice just as moving to match Joshua's. Neku stared at me with surprise and Eri's surprised expression turned into one of glee and happiness. Shiki's eyes were wide as she looked at me and Joshua. Even the teacher was surprised by us.

"_Have not saints lips, and holy palmers too?_"

"_Ay, pilgrim, lips that they must use in prayer._" By now, I was determined to prove I was better than he.

"_O, then, dear saint, let lips do what hands do;_  
_They pray, grant thou, lest faith turn to despair._"

"_Saints do not move, though grant for prayers' sake._"

"_Then move not, while my prayer's effect I take._  
_Thus from my lips, by yours, my sin is purged._"

"_Then have my lips the sin that they have took._"

"_Sin from thy lips? O trespass sweetly urged!_  
_Give me my sin again._" I couldn't help but feel my cheeks growing hot at this part. I ducked my head down slightly as I continued. This was the first time I had disliked acting and the fact that my heart was hammering did not help.

"_You kiss by the book_." My voice was steady, but my heart wasn't. Half-relieved and half-nervous, I couldn't believe my own reactions. Then again, I was a hard-to-believe person. I mean, my hobbies were, to say the least, odd. Buttercup-gazing and archery with a touch of drama and Shakespeare and a spoonful of tomboyish attitude topped with a dose of talking to monsters and making friends with them. Yup. I was weird.

Most of the class were gapping at us. The teacher shook herself out of her surprise.

"W-well done, you two. That was excellent work!" Then they clapped for us. I caught Joshua frowning at me. I was kind of surprised at this, for no smirk came to his face when I caught him staring. He seemed to be deep in thought. He often looked at me like this after I had run to the bear. I sighed and looked back at the teacher. Let us hope that things go no weirder.

* * *

_**AN:** _This chapter=weird.


	4. Chapter 4: Access Denied (April Fools!)

_**AN: **_Congratulations! You discovered… Secret chapter 3.5! Happy April Fools (and late Easter)! XD

PS: Sorry for the crappy humour… I'm bad at this stuff… I'm just dumping random thoughts in an organized way. DX Don't flame me for this. If you wanna skip it, please do! Chapter 4 is below Chapter 3.5.

Also, thank you to **Hypno Platypus **and **Rambunctious Guest **for the proofreading and **joshuathecomposer **for continuous encouragement as well as all others such as** MCRDanime**, **Xion**, and **Guest**! Sorry to inform that I am simply too lazy to move my lazy butt and make corrections… :P

* * *

_**Chapter 3.5: An April Fool's special: What?! No April Fools!?**_

_Told from Kayleigh's point of view_

School started around three days ago. After Neku went to sign up for Graffiti art, Serena went to sign up for archery with Joshua and I went to sign up for Fashion Design with Eri and Shiki, Serena began acting weird. Yesterday morning, she came up to me and started that weird day…

"Kayleigh!"

I looked up from my sketch of a dress. "Hmm? S'up, Serena?" To my surprise, Serena looked half-angry and half-tearful. Recently, she's been down and very tired-looking. But this, this was new.

"Hey, is it true that April Fools isn't celebrated in Japan?" she asked.

I blinked. "Well… Some celebrate it, but not like in America since it is part of Spring Break. It's mainly forgotten," I told her, frowning with apology. April Fools was Serena's favourite, and I mean that when I say it, day. Since in Japan, we had three semesters, or, rather, trimesters, April Fool's was either part of Spring Break or completely forgotten due to the preparations for school.

"What?! That's crazy!" Serena declared, straightening up, her hands on her hips. I couldn't help but smile, she was back to her usual self. "I officially declare this day be the Japanese April Fools!" O-kay… Maybe not usual self, but at least she wasn't down anymore. She was always childish on April Fools.

"Uh… and how will you get everyone into this?" I asked, tilting my head with curiosity. Serena gave me her cheeky smile. Something was going to happen. I knew it. With Serena's money and 'creativity', she'd be able to do something…

Later that day, I found out what she had in mind. I didn't see her during first class, but her voice rang loud and clear throughout the school.

"_Ahem. Attention! Attention everybody!_" Her voice came in an odd Indian accent from the speakers. She sounded nothing like an Indian though, and that was what was funny. I saw Neku and Joshua looking up in confusion while Eri and Shiki giggled. They had obviously been let in on the joke.

"_I, Prince Labrea Cartokus, have an important announcement to make!_" Prince what? What kind of name was that? The teacher was in obvious confusion.

"_I shall- Arg! What the fuck?" _Her voice turned back to normal and English. I sighed. She got caught. But not before she had some fun. That last word was still ringing in everyone's ears and along came a string of even nastier ones. Well, she taught us something today… Suddenly, I heard screams of shock. I looked outside.

A giant picture of that odd old-looking guy with a finger pointing and a weird top hat holding a pokeball with pokemon surrounding him (search Old English Pokemon theme song up on Google and you'll know what I mean) was outside our window, giving me a shock.

"The hell…?" I heard Neku mutter.

"What is THAT?" Eri asked, pointing at the large picture outside.

Joshua sighed. "Is this her way of pranking?" I heard him mutter and laugh a little, "It does suit her dramatic style…" I frowned at this and glanced at the boy, surprised to see a dreamy, sad look on his face, as if he were thinking of bittersweet memories. I looked away.

After everything was cleared up, Serena got detention, much to her surprise, and was sent back to class. But that wasn't the end of it.

When we walked home, we were stunned to see that the 104 screen thing's advertisements had been replaced with that same picture we'd seen in school, accompanied by an Old English version of the Pokemon Theme Song. Serena didn't stop grinning until this morning, when she went all sad and quiet again. Alright. I'm seriously worried about two things. One, how much did Serena spend yesterday just for April Fools, and, two, is Serena alright? I sure hope she is… I can't stand this solemn air around her. It just isn't her.

* * *

**Please don't kill me for utter randomness.**

**Now, the chapter you've all been waiting for!**

* * *

_**Chapter 4: Access Denied**_

"Um… Joshua, what _are _those exactly? They don't have color. Only shade."

"Those? They're… Um…"

"It doesn't matter though, does it? Every Soul needs someone to just be there for it once in a while, even if they're different from the others. Let's go talk to it! Maybe we can solve its problems, too!"

"Ilixo…? Wait! Ilixo! Don't!"

* * *

My eyes snapped open. Sweat bedded my forehead and I was panting. A nightmare? I closed my eyes and tried to calm myself. My hammering heart slowly returned to its normal speed as I rolled onto my side. I shivered. My warm, comfortable bed suddenly didn't feel all that pleasing anymore. Opening my eyes, I stared at the clock sitting on my bedside table and squinted at it. I could faintly make out what it read.

3:46

I sighed and yawned, annoyed at myself for waking up. But I couldn't sleep. The nightmares had been hitting harder and harder ever since the bear incident and, what's more, I could _remember_ scraps of the dreams I was having. But only scraps of it. Three days had past and today was Saturday morning. I should be in bed, sleeping 'til noon. Deciding that I was now too awake to go back to bed, I threw the covers back, exposing my legs to the cold morning air. Suppressing a shiver, I quickly changed out of my nightgown, the only dress I wear, and into a pair of grey pants and a grey top with a bear on it that were resting on a chair next to my bed. I swung my legs round to the side of the bed and just sat there, reflecting on the dreams I recently had, the parts I could remember.

_Ilixo_

The name sounded vaguely familiar but I just couldn't remember where I had heard it. I closed my eyes, swinging my legs back and forth. Wincing, pain shot through my head and I gritted my teeth, images beginning to form in my mind.

_The harsh crackling of flames. A house burning down. A boy crying, ash covering his face and hair. A grey/black monster. A buttercup sitting next to two play scripts, burning up._

My eyes blinked open. I was panting and sweating once more. I really couldn't go to sleep. All that was waiting for me were nightmares. I sighed, to afraid to even close my eyes, as I listened to the fast beating of my heart.

"_You promised!"_

"Arg…" I held a hand to my head and narrowed my eyes before hopping off my bed. Ouch. My head hurt. I walked towards the desk, there should be some aspirin in the drawers. Staggering over to the desk, I accidentally pulled the curtains open. Something outside caught my eye. Squinting in the dark, I looked outside. Next to the gate of our three floored home, stood none other than Yoshiya Kiryu. My eyes widened and I gasped. I could tell it was him even though he wasn't facing my way. There was no mistaking that ash-blonde hair that was visible under the light of a streetlamp.

_Stalker,_ I thought, putting my hands on my hips and frowning with disapproval. I barely noticed my headache go away, but I could faintly hear some kind of melody. It was soothing and made me want to close my eyes, even though it wasn't a lullaby. Oh good that it wasn't a lullaby. I would never be able to sleep with a lullaby after knowing the truth about them. The 'Sea Lullaby' was about a child getting 'kidnapped' by the sea while that 'Rocka-by Baby' song was about a baby falling out of a tree. Of course, no one knew I hated lullabies except Kayleigh and my Mom. Giving a yawn, I climbed back into bed, wanting to fall asleep there, not on the floor. For some reason, the tune seemed strangely familiar.

I didn't dream any more that night.

The next day, I woke up to the sound of my phone receiving a text message. Rolling to face my bedside table, I snatched up my iPhone and typed in the password (no, I will NOT tell you what my password is). It was ten in the morning and Kayleigh had sent me a text. I stretched and sat up before checking it.

_Yo, Serena!  
R U up yet? If U R, meet me at Hachiko, k?  
From, Kay.  
PS: We're gonna go get ramen! Yum._

I grinned. Ramen, eh? Sounds delicious! I hopped off my bed, realizing I already had my clothes on, and put a coat over my clothes and grabbed my ruby pendant before rushing down stairs.

"Mom! I'm gonna go meet up with Kayleigh!" I called as I put on my fur boots.

"Alright! Be careful!"

I flung open the door, not forgetting to grab my purse and shove it in my pocket before I left.

I saw Kayleigh waving at me as I approached the dog statue. I had to use the GPS program on my phone to find my way as I wasn't that familiar with Shibuya yet. Grinning brightly, I met up with her. Kayleigh seemed relieved to see me all happy again. After those nightmares, I had been a little not myself recently and with the April Fools thing, I was in detention. Eh. Who cares? I had fun pissing people off and that tune had healed my exhaustion.

Afterwards, we went to Ramen Don on Dogenzaka.

"Irrashaii*!" the cheerful voice of the owner of the shop greeted us as we came in and sat down. "What will you kids have today?"

"Hmm… Some Miso Ramen please!" Kayleigh ordered after looking at the menu. I took longer to decide.

"Shio Ramen, I think…" I finally said. We chatted as we waited for our Ramen. When it came, we were done waiting and began eating. Giving Kayleigh a knowing glance, we simultaneously chanted, "Itadaki masu**!" before digging in. We reminded ourselves to not eat messily, but in a civil manner, just barely. It was good… Hard to describe, but the best ramen we've tasted, that's for sure! We chatted as we ate, slowing down our pace to thoroughly enjoy the greatness of our ramen with a few "This is good!"s and "Hmmm… Yummy!"s.

Then, a voice disrupted our heated prattle.

"The usual: some Shio Ramen, please…"

It was Joshua. We looked at him in mild surprise.

"Oh!" he exclaimed with mock surprise, looking at us, "My, my… Imagine meeting you two here. Hello, Serena, Kayleigh."

"Hey there, Josh," Kayleigh greeted with her usual cheerfulness.

"Hi. Why you here?" I added, trying not to be rude.

"Why can't I be here? I do like the Shio ramen they sell," to prove his point, he took took the Shio ramen that had just been set down in front of his and ate some, "Mmh… I'm in paradise…"

I shuddered. What an odd way of expressing pleasure in eating.

I felt the same cold feeling as I felt with the bear the other day. I stared out of the window. There it was, the bear. The grey, black and white bear. Staring at me, it was, staring at me through the window. I swallowed and got up.

"Er… Kayleigh… I suddenly realized I have something to do." I set down 580 yen on the table, "Sorry, bye!" I bolted as soon as I had finished speaking. Determined to not lose sight of the strangely coloured bear this time, I ignored the weird stares I was getting and followed it.

After running for a long time, I arrived in Udagawa Back Streets, panting and exhausted, hands on knees. The bear was waiting and I straightened up to face it. I got a sense of foreboding which made me shiver, but I approached the bear anyways.

I regretted that.

I wasn't sure what happened, but, at the next moment, the bear lunged at me. Startled, I took a step back, but tripped and fell over. Its claws were an inch away from my face and my head felt like it had split open, pain raking through my brain and forgotten memories dancing to life. The world was spinning. However, a sudden CRASH made me open my eyes and the bear was no longer there. My mind cleared from the panic and I looked back, hearing something.

There stood Joshua, panting, his cellphone out and looking as if he had just ran a mile to see the end of the world, but had been able to save the world from ending. My heart hammered even faster than before, a new fear creeping up on me. Joshua calmed himself and locked gazes with me, getting out of his odd pose that reminded me of someone taking photo.

Was he mad?

* * *

**_AN:_**Hmm... I don't think this is half bad despite rushing to update before my mom begins rushing me to bed... Crappiness on the first part though!

* - 'Welcome' in Japanese

** - Something Japanese people say before eating


	5. Chapter 5: Secrets and Lies

_**AN: **_Finally updating! Sorry for the wait! Thanks for all your support! I'm too lazy to name all 'a ya.

I do not own TWEWY. (I keep forgetting disclaimers! Is it even mandatory to do this?)

* * *

_**Chapter 5: Secrets and Lies**_

"Why?!"

"Ilixo…"

"Why!? Why?! WHY?!"

"Ilixo, please…"

"It was sad! It was in pain! It wanted to stay! I wanted it to stay! I was going to talk to it! I was… I just wanted to… To calm it down! Why?"

"Ilixo… Listen to me…"

"How could you… How could you? How could you do such a thing so easily…?"

* * *

I looked away, back at the place the bear had once stood. An uneasy silence fell on the area. I could feel Joshua's gaze fixed on me. Then it left and he sighed. I heard footsteps and looked around, but refused to meet his gaze. He was walking over to me. I was prepared for a snide comment about not being careful, but then he did the least expected thing: he bent down next to me, looking serious, and offered me his hand.

"Can you stand?" he asked, "Are you okay?"

My eyes widened and I spared him a glance. I was trembling. He smirked.

"What? Did the big scary monster scare you dumb?"

I narrowed my eyes and looked away and I knew he had stood up once more. Another sigh came.

"Well, sorry for offering my help…" Then he muttered something I almost didn't quite catch. I thought my ears were lying since I only barely heard it.

"What was that you just said?" I asked, turning my head around and not believing what I had just heard from him. I tried my best to stop trembling.

"Finally found your voice?" Josh replied, ignoring the context of my question, "Now, let's see if you can get up…" Without my permission, he pulled me up. The contact made me flinch, but I accepted the help. After getting up, my nerves finally and completely went away and I jerked away from the ash-blonde kid, suddenly realizing that I was shorter than him. Another silence fell.

"… Where's the thank you? I helped you up. Hee…" Joshua suddenly asked, smirking.

"No, you touched me without my permission; I was perfectly able to get up by myself," I rebuked stubbornly, refusing to admit that I needed his help. I folded my arms and let the silence fall once more. I looked at where the bear had been and frowned. "Where'd the bear go…?" I wondered aloud. Then I looked at Joshua. "Where's the bear? How… how could you see it and how did you stop it from attacking me?" I suddenly inquired, realizing that somehow, Joshua had stopped the monster from killing me. I might have been grateful if it weren't for the bear's disappearance.

"Humph," Joshua smirked at me some more, "I _erased_ it." He seemed to be awaiting a reaction from me. And boy, did he get one.

At first, I was stunned. Shocked, you should say. How could he have said that so calmly? He erased it? It was a being with a life, a soul of its own. How could anyone who could hear its voice, who could see its agony just erase it and shrug it off? I narrowed my eyes, anger flaring. That soul was in pain and I had confidence I could help it, talk to it, cure it.

"Why!?"

"Because it was a threat."

"How can you just shrug it off so easily?!" I stalked up to Joshua, glaring at him, and grabbed his collar. "It was a life, a soul! Why did you have to erase its existence? Why can you just say that so easily?"

"Serena…" Joshua's eyes were cold, "It wasn't something that is meant to exist."

"So what?! If it was there, that means it existed! Anything that exists is meant to exist! Even if it were a threat, how could you not feel its pain, its agony, listen to its sorrow?!" I wanted him to see my side of the story. These creatures were just lonely and lost. But they… they had Souls, too. They had feelings. They shouldn't be belittled like that, viewed as nothing more than a threat that needed to be erased. They should be given a chance to find their sanity, their Soul. I knew I must have looked crazy. I knew I was beginning to cry, but that was only because I was the only one who could hear them. Hear their inner Music, their thoughts, their feelings. Share their pain, their sorrow, their memories and lives.

"Serena, calm down," Joshua ordered.

"If you are like me… If you could see them, know that they exist… How could you just shrug it off like that!? That… that's heartless! I wanted them to know, to see that they didn't have to stay as they were. That they could become human. That they could think for themselves and would be rescued one day!"

"Ilixo! Calm down!"

I became silent. I let go and took a step back. Joshua looked shocked at himself. "Ilixo…" I muttered. The name felt familiar yet alien on my tongue. "Urg…" My head suddenly burst into pain and I collapsed, my hands on my temples. Ouch. It hurt. I couldn't think clearly. My vision was blurry. I could faintly hear someone calling a name – my name? I wasn't sure.

Once the pain vanished and my head cleared, I realized that some time had passed and I was being carried. The faintest feeling of a warm body next to mine woke me up completely and I stared into Joshua's face. My first instinct told me to scream as loud as possible, but Joshua spoke before I could do anything.

"Are you alright now?" he merely asked, his face devoid of emotion. We got a few stares from those walking in the streets around us, but I, who had never been one to care about what other people thought unless it hurt them, could only get angry at Joshua. I slowly felt myself caring though and a wave of embarrassment washed over me. It only got worse when I swallowed my anger enough to realize I was being carried bridal style.

I tried to ignore the staring but ended up burying my face into Joshua's chest, giving him the silent treatment. My fingers grasped his shirt tightly and I felt my cheeks going red. God I hated this. When would he put me down? A giggle sounded from above.

"No need to be so embarrassed… I never knew you were so sensitive… I thought you didn't give a damn about things like this…"

I didn't. But, for some reason, when it came to Joshua, I couldn't help but care."Put me down…" I mumbled into his shirt after a while of silence.

"Pardon me? I didn't hear quite clearly, but I think you're lacking a thank you for carrying you while you were unconscious and saving you from a certain mad bear that you seem to care about more than you care about other beings."

I didn't quite understand the last part, but I knew that he wanted to hear me say the words 'thank you' and I knew that was never going to happen. I also knew I was only recovering and probably not strong enough to struggle free. But I still struggled. I struggled weakly, but felt a wave of nausea wash over me the moment I made any violent movements. So… I gave up. I was tired anyways and I could almost see Joshua giving me a triumphant smirk as I decided to take a rest and fall asleep.

The next time I woke up, I realized that my weak feeling had almost completely left me as had my pain. I also realised that I was lying in a bed and not in Joshua's arms, to my relief. I rolled onto my side, blinking to clear my vision. Then, I proceeded to take a look at my surroundings.

I was lying in a warm, comfy bed, white quilt pulled up to my shoulders. My head sunk into a soft pillow and I was surrounded by boring, white walls. There really wasn't much to see in the room. It was pretty much bare apart from the bed. Hoping that I was well enough to get up, I sat up slowly and, to my pleasance, I felt perfectly fine. So I swung my legs round and hopped off the bed, wondering where I was. Where'd Josh take me to now? I carefully and silently opened the door and was greeted by stairs.

Ah, my worst enemy, so we meet again. At least I didn't have to climb up them. I guessed that I was on the second floor and began climbing down, taking my time so that I wouldn't suddenly realize I still wasn't well and fall down the stairs.

Then, halfway through my epic journey of having to face a long staircase, I heard voices. Curious, I couldn't help but eavesdrop. I inched down the stairs, making a silent landing at the bottom, and stood there, listening. I could hear Joshua talking to someone who sounded older.

"… Can see into the game, huh? Sounds an awful lot like you, J," I heard the older sounding man say.

"Yes, but she can also draw out the humane sides of Noise. Her Music is very powerful and influential." Joshua now spoke and I realized they were talking about me. "The only other Soul I know who can do this is… Is a childhood friend…" His voice was sorrowful.

"A childhood friend?"

"Yes… The point is that this isn't natural." I felt odd. I wasn't natural? "Her imagination must be very powerful and dangerous for it to have reached such bounds."

"Are you suggesting she's a threat, Josh?"

"Not exactly… But if she's what I think she is…" he suddenly stopped. I froze as I heard the screech of a chair and footsteps. The footsteps stopped before they got too close. "Why are you eavesdropping?" Joshua voice came from around the corner. It was filled with frigidness. I stayed silent for a second. This wasn't like him at all. He then walked into view. "I asked you why you were eavesdropping."

"Um… Well, because you were talking about me behind my back…" I managed, giving the teen a barely mustered glare. Joshua smirked, his eyes filled with playfulness.

"Good kids don't eavesdrop…"

"You're just a kid, too, you know?" I frowned at the arrogant kid. A flash of uncertainty graced Joshua's face, but it was gone as quick as it had come. He narrowed his eyes, looking serious.

"Tell me: who _are _you?"

"Pfft… I already did. I'm Serena, in case you've already forgotten."

"… Ilixo." The name made me flinch, but no pain came to me. "You recognize that name, don't you?" Joshua took a step closer and I pressed myself against the wall. "Are you Ilixo?" The candid question caught me by surprise. I opened my mouth to speak, but closed it again without speaking. All of a sudden, a wave of dizziness hit me. It didn't hurt, but something was trying to invade my mind. As if it wanted me to remember, but, at the same time, my mind defended itself. I didn't want to remember.

"Ow…" I pushed Joshua aside and ran for it. I didn't know where I was going or what I was going to do. I just knew I had to escape before it took over and changed me. I pushed open the door of whatever building I was in, mildly aware of bells ringing and someone else watching me leave.

I felt something unlock itself inside my heart and I did everything I could to push it back, to lock it away. Whoever Ilixo was, whatever connection Joshua and I had, I didn't want to remember. I… am afraid that if I know, I'll never be 'me' again.

Ever.

* * *

**_AN:_***sighs* I didn't really like this chapter... It's odd and confusing in my eyes. Josh is a little OoC... Thanks to everyone who is supporting and following!


	6. Chapter 6: Bull's Eye

**_AN: _**Hee… Time for some more obstacles to get in Joshua's way! Specifically, a boy named Akihiko Miyazaki (宮崎 明彦, Shrine Cape Bright Prince) A.K.A . Alexander or Shine (his nickname)

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: You should know this. I'm not putting another one since I've made it very clear already… Plus, I keep forgetting…

* * *

**_Chapter 6: Bull's-Eye_**

The next few days, I avoided Joshua. I didn't want to awaken whatever was stirring inside of me, not a chance! However, this avoiding thing had made me glum and I knew it. Before long, I was snapping at friends, skipping class, skipping club and leaving abruptly on group meetings. The change in me was great and I knew it. But I also knew, somehow, that if I remembered whatever Joshua wanted me to remember, I would completely be someone else. The changes would be even more drastic than they were now. I even asked Kayleigh to help keep Joshua away from me. Even though the brunette seemed worried and concerned, she agreed without questioning me.

Joshua was always trying to approach me. That kid was stubborn, but I was more stubborn. No matter how much he tired, I managed to keep away from him and keep him away from me. I thought he would give up after a while, but he persisted.

Then, something that was sure to keep us apart came.

We were halfway into the trimester and it was a glorious May morning. The sky was a clear blue and barely any clouds drifted through the sky. The ones that did took their time, floating lazily. The sun was bright and the Cherry Trees stood tall. I couldn't help but feel down though. The good weather was nowhere near enough to lift my spirits. Why? Today we had an archery competition and I was warned for skipping club so I had to come unless I wanted to get kicked out and I didn't, but today's archery competition meant that we'd be staying longer than usual.

Sulking, I knew Kayleigh was giving me a worried look. I hated worrying her, but I couldn't seem to cheer up no matter what. It was as if whatever was stirring inside me was punishing me for not letting myself remember.

The bell rang and the teacher came in. We stood up in respect and waited for the teacher to put his stuff down before sitting. I felt three set of eyes watching me for moment. One pair belonged to Kayleigh, of course. The teacher had given me worried stare at that same time, too. Thanks for being such a caring teacher, Mr. Kanagawa. The third and final pair of eyes belonged to none other than Joshua himself. I couldn't tell what kind of look he was giving me since I looked away the moment we made eye contact. Surprisingly, Mr. Kanagawa announced that a transfer student would be joining us today. Students joining in the middle of the trimester were rare.

Puzzled, I watched as our teacher beckoned for the unseen student outside the door to come in. Now _this_ was shocking. My jaw hung open and my eyes widened as I saw the person walk in. He was quite tall, around a head taller than myself, very mature-looking and had shoulder length blonde, almost gold, hair with darker streaks dyed in, a few clips securing the right side of his fringe while the left spread messily over his forehead and left eye. Some of his hair was loosely tied into a short, high ponytail while a few stray strands hung around his neck. His gold-hazel eyes were clouded and cold and no emotion showed on his face whatsoever. Many of the girls began muttering excitedly.

"Akihiko?!" I had stood up from my seat and burst out the name before I realized it. I was under a lot of stress and this was shocking enough for me to have made a rash move. Furthermore, I had called him by his first name. And in Japanese, too. Gah! What was I…? Luckily, my face was too filled with surprise to show my embarrassment so I got over that and continued being shocked, acting as if no one else was here.

The boy who had walked in smiled at my surprise. "Good morning, Serena. How are you?" he merely replied in fluent English, eyes softening, "Long time no see, huh?"

"Y-yeah… Long time no see… I'm good… I guess…" I replied stupidly, being lulled into using English as well. Akihiko gave a soft laugh and the teacher looked between us.

"I guess you two are already aquatinted…" Mr. Kanagawa began, clearing his throat. I jumped back to reality and sat down, not exactly embarrassed, but impatient. I haven't seen Akihiko in years! The teacher continued. "Anyways, would you like to introduce yourself, Miyazaki?"

"Gladly," Akihiko switched back to Japanese as he continued, "Sorry for our interruption, sensei(1)…"

"It's fine, it's fine…" The good-natured teacher dismissed this and waved at Akihiko to continue.

"Hajimemashite(2), my name is Akihiko Miyazaki, but you are free to call me Alex," Alex smiled pleasantly at the seated students, his expression much kinder and softer than when he had first gotten in here. This caused the girls to break out into another bout of excited muttering. "I transferred here from France. Yorosiko, minna(3)."

"Alright then, Miyazaki, you can go sit next to Ms. Clarks and, seeing as you two already know each other, I'll let Ms. Clarks show you around the school, alright?"

I grinned. "Yes, sensei!" Watching Alex make his way other and take the seat next to me, I couldn't help but beam at him. The boy beamed back. Then, I caught Joshua giving Alex an odd look. One halfway between confusion and annoyance, I guessed, but it disappeared quickly, causing me to wonder if I had imagined it or not. Oh well… It didn't matter since Alex was here.

I haven't seen him since middle school! An odd feeling that told me Alex was out of place struck me for a moment and I gave the tiniest of frowns. This feeling was the same feeling I had whenever I was with Joshua, just stronger and much more noticeable.

Alex, me and him met when I was only five years old, we have a history between us. He was the 'big brother next doors' to me and Kayleigh and I was happy to see her delight at Alex being here. It was such a coincidence! This cheered me up dearly, as you can see, until school ended, that was.

Having Alex here somehow kept Joshua away, and, to my delight, he had already joined the archery club. So, afterschool, I waved good bye to Neku, Shiki, Eri and Kayleigh and headed over to archery club with Alex. Strangely, Joshua was nowhere to be seen. Once we slid open the door to the archery center - or whatever you call it – we realized that Joshua had already gotten there, but he didn't even spare us a glance. A little pissed, I went to the girl's changing rooms to get changed while Alex went to the boy's.

After changing into that kimono-like thingy used in Japanese archery (I was told it was called Kyudo, but it gets confusing when I use Kyudo jargon), I put on my three-fingered gloves and got my yumi (bow) before sitting with the other girls to watch the competition between the boys. There weren't many girls, only around ten or so, but there were a lot of fangirls milling around to watch. It seems that Alex and Joshua already had little fanclubs made for them who were screaming with approval at seeing them in those kimono-like thingies. I rolled my eyes. This was annoying. All this screaming and yelling was starting to give me a headache. It did suit them though… Urg. What am I thinking!

However, I had to admit, that the boys were good, especially Joshua and Alex. I knew Alex was good since he practices all the time, but I didn't expect Joshua to be this good. Almost ever arrow landed in the center regardless of the wind. Their postures were perfect and so were the timings of their shots. This was an elimination battle so, in the end only those two remained. Most of us couldn't tear our eyes away. A certain aura around those two had our eyes glued to them.

"Wow! Another bull's eye! Who are those kids?!"

"Whao… They're so good!"

"They've probably gone past Zaiteki (1) already…"

"As expected of Miyazaki-kun and Kiryu-kun!"

Then, I saw Alex turn to Joshua and mutter something, causing the silverette to frown. Alex chuckled and said something that made Joshua smirk and nod. The two boys shot glances back at me one after the other. Uh… what? I blinked, raising an eyebrow in confusion, but the two had already went back to their game. And so the competition continued until the guy in teacher decided that enough was enough and ordered the two to stop.

Well, that was about it for today. I was quite disappointed because the girls didn't have any time to compete, but I didn't complain. At least now my headache should die down. I got my stuff and prepared to go home.

"Serena! Let's go home together!"

Alex had come over with a smile. I blinked at him for a moment before smiling back.

"Sure. I'll go get Kayleigh…"

"That won't be necessary. Let's go. I have somewhere I want to take you to," Alex told me, grabbing my hand and beaming before pulling me towards the school gates.

I didn't see my ride there so I supposed that Alex had already told my mom that he was going to take me wherever he's going to take me. Joshua had already flown out of my mind by then. Being pulled along, I didn't utter a single complaint. This is Alex we're talking about, he's always like this around me, as if I'm the only one he can open up to. I still remember the time he and Kayleigh fought over whose house I was going to afterschool. At the time, I thought it was awfully childish, but now I think that it was kind of sweet. It was the first time he had acted like a child in front of me after all. Before that, he had always acted like an older brother. After that, he had a 180 degrees flip. He showed his true colors as an immature kid, not that I cared anyways.

We ended up in front of an ice-cream shop, a GIANT ice-cream shop. I knew I probably looked really weird, but I couldn't help it. Ice-cream was my weakness! My eyes wide, I was sure there were stars sparkling inside them and my mouth was definitely agape as I marvelled at all the different flavours of ice-cream there. Alex was smiling at me when I looked at him with grateful eyes and then he opened the door for me to go in.

Sitting down at a table, I ordered a giant sundae while Alex got a banana split. Dang. I should have ordered the banana split. I glared at the banana split as if it had offended me, and Alex, who was about to take a bite, saw my expression and smiled. He put his spoon in front of me. I blinked at him.

"You want some?" he asked and received an eager nod in reply. He chuckled at my childishness, though I'm sure he's more childish than I am. "Say 'ah'…"

Momentarily glaring at him for treating me like a baby, I hesitated before doing as told. The banana split was so yummy, I accidentally finished half of it with Alex spoon feeding me.

"Oops…" I muttered, looking apologetic for eating his dessert, but he just grinned. "Here, have some of my sundae…"

"It's fine, Serena," he declined the offer, shaking his head and grinning some more. I raised an eyebrow at him. He had… changed. Usually, he wouldn't hesitate to gobble up my ice-cream, but here we were, _him _acting like the older person, which he was… but still! We sat in an awkward silence for a moment before Alex began talking again. "Hey, Serena."

"Hmm?" I looked up as I dug up a spoonful of my sundae, surprised at the serious expression on his face.

For a moment, Alex didn't talk, just stared at me. So, I did the natural thing: stare back. "Serena," he began again, "I like you. Can you go out with me?"

The spoon stopped halfway between my mouth and the sundae. "Eh?"

* * *

(1) Zaiteki is the highest level of Kyudo

(2) Yoroshiko, minna means 'Please take care of me, everyone' in a literal sense. Used when first meeting

(3) 'Nice to meet you', 'First time meeting you' Along those lines


	7. Chapter 7: Remembered

_**AN: Sorry for taking so long with updates! Here is the next chapter! As well as the fluff (did I use the right word?) that I'm sure you've all been waiting for.**_

_**Thanks to everyone that reviewed, followed or favourited!**_

_**Chapter 7: Remembered**_

Oh. My. God.

I don't know any other way to react, really. Sweeping through the corridors, my thoughts jumped back to yesterday afternoon.

_"Hmm?" I looked up as I dug up a spoonful of my sundae, surprised at the serious expression on his face._

_For a moment, Alex didn't talk, just stared at me. So, I did the natural thing: stare back. "Serena," he began again, "I like you. Can you go out with me?"_

_The spoon stopped halfway between my mouth and the sundae. "Eh?" I blinked and swallowed. "What was that?"_

"_Serena, will you be my girlfriend?"_

_I stared at Alex dumbly, suddenly getting the crazy urge to laugh, but, looking into his eyes, I realized this wasn't a joke. "I… I'll think about it…"_

_Alex relaxed at once, smiling serenely. After that, we chattered about trivial things, me in a mild state of shock._

Oh god. I was _not _expecting _that. _I mean, Alex has always been the older brother I've always wanted to me, so it caught me completely off guard. To be honest, I'm still a little stunned right now. I do love him, but as a brother, not a potential lover. Really, I'm not sure exactly how to respond to him. Maybe I can… procrastinate for a few days, get some more time to think, yeah. I don't want to hurt him by rejecting him or anything, but… I sighed and looked around.

To my surprise, my wandering had taken me to the roof. It was lunch – well, almost lunch; I had gotten off a little early – and the rooftop would be a wonderful place to just sit and think. I smiled to myself, taking no notice of the 'STUDENTS NOT ALLOWED' sign and unlocking the door with the key I had been given. There were many advantages to having rich parents. I'm just glad I'm not a spoiled brat.

I climbed onto the top of the little box-room that jutted out from the top, sheltering and bordering the stairs (I have never bothered to learn the name of that part of the roof), lying down on my back. Before I knew it, I had drifted off to dreamland.

I wasn't really sure how long it had been when I woke up, but I heard voices, strangely familiar voices… Alex and Joshua!

Sitting up abruptly, I strained my ears to try and catch what they were talking about, but I couldn't. So, doing what a normal curious yet slightly guilty feeling of eavesdropping teen would do, I sat up and got to the edge to hear and see better.

"… Serena… friends… leave it…" Alex was saying, face showing little emotion. Having heard my name, I got even more curious and tried harder to catch their conversation, succeeding.

"I'm sure of it and you know it, too. Why are you denying it?" There was an edge to Joshua's voice. His expression was serious, lacking the usual arrogance and smirk.

"… Ilixo has been given her chance to rectify everything and live a happy life. She is no longer the Ilixo you knew; now, she is Serena. Stop trying to bind her to the past! And please stop trying to make her life like it was before…"

"But I want a chance to rectify things, too… I might sound selfish, but she promised and I plan to hold her to her word."

"… Leave her alone, Yoshiya Kiryu. That's the final warning you'll get. I won't allow you to cause any more harm than you already have… She just wants to live a normal life and she'll only be able to without you." Alex turned and walked off, leaving an annoyed and pensive Joshua.

Suddenly, Joshua's expression softened into a tender one and he smiled, as if remembering a sweet memory, before walking off, too. I was left, stunned and confused, blinking rapidly. I had one question in my head:

_Er… what?_

I shook my head and lay back down, stretching. I must be dreaming or something. I stared at the could drifting lazily across the blue smile and began thinking of other, less confusing things.

Suddenly, without warning, Joshua's face appeared within my thoughts, that tender expression lingering. I felt the blood rush to my cheeks and sat up suddenly, shaking my head with a frown. How did my thoughts get there? Damn it. That guy was messing with my mind.

I took out my cell phone to check the time. There was still some time until class. I shrugged, putting my phone away and deciding to relax a bit before having to face the mystery.

When I walked into class later, I was surprised to see no one there. Except….

"Joshua? Where did everyone go?"

The boy looked up at the mention of his name and smirked. "I thought you knew the timetable better, Serena, they've all gone out for PE."

I facepalmed. How could I have forgotten? Suddenly, I thought of something. "Then why are you here?" I inquired, raising an eyebrow and crossing my arms.

Was it just me, or did his smirk just get wider? "That's none of your concern, dear Serena," – my eye twitched – "Why don't you run along now?"

"You know, Kiryu, you are really starting to sound like some posh old lady talking to her grandchildren," I replied, huffing and folding my arms, "And you can't tell me what to do, you know?" I sighed, "So. Why are you still here?"

Joshua stood up straight, leaving the desk he was leaning on and walking towards me. He stopped directly in front of me, mirroring my pose. "Would you believe me if I had said I was waiting for you?" he asked. I raised an eyebrow. "I want to – need to – talk to you about something."

I narrowed my eyes, having a feeling I knew where the conversation was going to go. He opened his mouth to speak, but I spoke first. "Who's Ilixo? Who's Ilixo and what does she have to do with me?" I began. I hesitated for a moment, but continued when I saw Joshua beginning to talk again. His smirk had vanished. "What did you and Alex mean about my past? What promise were you talking about?" My curiosity was getting to me. Joshua had a frown paced on his face.

"You are Ilixo."

Those three words brought another splitting headache to me and I hissed in pain. My hands flew to my temples and I crouched down, desperately trying to calm the thoughts and images that came to my mind. Joshua's hand touched my shoulder and I was pulled away…

_It was a bright and sunny day, the heat beating down on the narrow streets and wooden houses. The thirteen year-old Joshua, however, was not enjoying the sun, not that many did, but still, it was better than the rain. Huddled in a dark corner, he sat on a crate. Fear was flashing in his lavender eyes, but his face bore a determined expression. He watched as two people ran past, one shouting at the other, seeming to be in a hurry. They were both children around the same age as he. Then he watched as a flash of color dropped from the sky, striking the younger of the two. A strangled cry rang out and Joshua had to stop himself from flinching. They faded, one after the other, and the silverette found himself face to face with a kangaroo-like creature._

_The boy tensed up even though he knew the thing could not hurt him. It stared at him. He stared back. He couldn't take it much longer and jumped off the crate, about to take off before he heard a chuckle._

"_I don't understand why you're so afraid of them, Joshua." A girl stepped from the shadows with a smile on her face. Her dark hair cascaded down her back in waves and her brown eyes, so much alike to my own, were filled with laughter. Her dress was simple and Victorian styled. Odd._

"_Ilixo." The greeting was simple and tense. _

_The girl reached out a hand and began stroking the creature which turned its attention to her. Joshua couldn't help but flinch. How could she come into contact with that thing that had killed those two children. Joshua felt guilt rise as he realized he was angry. That's right. She couldn't see them. She couldn't see the horrors that they had committed. He was once like her, only seeing the innocent side of these creatures, yet he wasn't entirely like her, the creatures didn't become human when he was around. They retained the soulless composure around him, but Ilixo was somehow able to bring back their humanity. Against his wishes, he felt slightly jealous, but he also knew that he could never have that ability. Ilixo was special._

_She gave the creature one last pat and shared some parting words before it disappeared. Then she turned her gaze to Joshua. "Are you ready to go?" she asked. He smiled, negative feeling fading away. He couldn't bear to keep those feelings of negativity towards her. It just didn't work. Nodding, Joshua followed the girl out onto the Victorian streets. I knew that it was Victorian, or at least I thought it was. Before I had time to examine the memory further or complete process what I had seen, I was dragged out of the memory._

I was kneeling on the floor of the classroom, Joshua beside me.

"Serena?" his uncertain voice made me look at him.

"Was that… Your memory?" For some reason, I wasn't at all shocked that I had managed to see inside his memory and know that it was a memory. Perhaps it was because I met up and chatted with monsters every day?

Joshua seemed confused and shocked for a second before slowly nodding. "What did you… you see?"

"You… You lived in the Victorian times."

He gave me an amused, bewildered and… scared… look? Scared? Was I imagining the fear in his eyes? "No… I don't. If I lived then, how am I here?"

I gasped, suddenly realizing what the odd feeling that had lingered when he or Alex were around was. "You don't belong. You aren't the right age, aren't in the right time. You and… and Alex. I remember. Alex… he's meant to be five years older than me and you… it's impossible. How can you still be alive?" I was bordering shock by now, "If you had lived all those years ago, then how can you…? Why do I even believe this?" I shook my head, smiling, sceptic and unbelieving.

"Serena."

"No no, I must be dreaming. Something must be wrong with my head. Why do I recognize you as someone who has lived all those years ago?"

"Serena, please, listen…"

"And Alex, he… He couldn't have been five years older than me because he's the same age as me and yet he's five years older…"

"Serena, stop… You're going to hurt yourself…"

"They're both the truth and yet one must be false… I don't get it. How can you live then and now? How can-?" I was cut off by something warm against my lips. Without knowing it, my hands had grasped my head and I was shaking. Joshua was close, really close. Then it hit me.

Was he… kissing me?


End file.
